Places The Heart Has Not Yet Discovered
by MRMFCB
Summary: Sequel to A Little Secret. Something happens to Tony while on a case. Who takes care of Kit? Kate does! TATE Story 2 in the Katharine DiNozzo Series Chapter 6 UP! The End!
1. Somebody Took DiNozzo

Title: Places The Heart Has Not Yet Discovered

Genre: Romance

Pairing: Tony/Kate

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or its characters.

Summary: The team takes on a dangerous case. When something happens to Tony, Kate has to take care of his daughter. Story #2 in the Katharine DiNozzo Series.

AN: I suggest reading the first story, A Little Secret, before you read this one, just so you understand where Kit came from.

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Kate and Tony were on less than speaking terms. It had been a little over a month since the team found out about Kit, Tony's five year old daughter. The team also found out that Tony and Kate had a relationship. The key word was 'had'. Kate couldn't deal with the fact that Tony kept that little girl from her. They promised each other they would keep no secrets because secrets can ruin a relationship. And that's what it had done.

Luckily, the team still functioned with Tony and Kate acting like this. Gibbs constantly reminded them to keep their personal lives out of work, but they couldn't help it. On several occasions, Tony attempted to talk to her, to gain her trust back, but she'd either ignore him or tell him off. While working, they'd avoid each other as much as possible. And that's what they were doing, avoiding each other when Gibbs got a call. He hung up and walked over to Tony's desk.

"DiNozzo, remember that case that went cold?"

"Yes, boss, that one, yeah, of course." Tony said sarcastically. He received a threatening glare. "I need more info, boss."

"Three years ago. Petty Officer Jack Richardson died of strangulation. No murder weapon found. Hardly any forensic evidence. No …"

Tony cut him off. "Suspects identified. Yeah, I remember. Do we have a new lead?"

"We may. A cold case agent found a buddy that was overseas with him while he was deployed. Chief Petty Officer Ron Henderson. He was the only one Richardson trusted. Go talk to him. Get a DNA sample and have Abby compare that to what evidence we have," Gibbs ordered.

Tony got his gun out of the drawer and holstered it. He grabbed his gear and began to walk out. He stopped in front of Kate's desk. There was a silence between the two.

"Kate, I …" he began.

"Tony, go get the DNA," Kate said without looking up from her work.

Tony sighed and left.

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Tony walked up to a run-down ranch style house with boards on the windows. Tony double checked the address, not believing he had the right one. When he was satisfied he was right, he went to knock on the door.

"Petty Officer Henderson! Open up, it's NCIS. I need to talk to you for a minute!" Tony shouted.

There was no answer. Tony looked through the tiny window in the door. There was no movement. As Tony reached for his gun, he felt a hard object hit the back of his head. Things around him got fuzzy and went black.

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"Kate, where's DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Don't know. He went to get that DNA sample and hasn't come back yet." Kate told him.

Gibbs took out his cell phone and dialed Tony's number. No one answered.

"Let's go get him. It doesn't take three hours to go get a damn DNA sample." Gibbs said irritably.

They got into a NCIS-issued sedan and drove to Petty Officer Henderson's house. They pulled up next to Tony's car in front of the run down house. As soon as Gibbs looked towards the front door, he could see a pool of blood on the doorstep.

Kate watched Gibbs pull his gun. Though not sure why, she did the same. When she saw the blood, they both ran up to the door. Each taking one side of the door, they stood there while Gibbs called for the petty officer.

"Petty Officer Henderson! NCIS! Open up!"

He waited all of three seconds before kicking the door down and they ran into the room. There were a few pieces of furniture. A couch, rocking chair, coffee table and a bookshelf with no books. Paint was chipping off in several places and the floorboards creaked. They cleared the house without finding Tony.

Gibbs sighed. "Kate, call Tony again."

She put her gun in the holster and pulled out her cell.

After a few seconds, someone hung up on Kate without saying a word. She pulled back the phone to look at it.

"Some one just answered and hung up. Like they were trying to ignore my call."

"Let's start processing. Somebody took DiNozzo."

"Gibbs?" Kate asked.

Gibbs looked over at Kate and waited for her to speak.

"What about Kit? Who's going to take care of her until we find Tony?"

Gibbs thought about that for a moment.

"You are, Kate."


	2. Daddy

Disclaimer is back in chapter one.

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"No. No, I'm not. I can't take care of her! I barely know her!" Kate yelled at Gibbs.

"Kate, that's an order," Gibbs said firmly as he walked outside to call McGee.

She followed him out and waited for him to say something.

"McGee," Gibbs said into his phone, "Get to the house, now. We need to start processing. Tony's missing. No, McGee he left a note saying where he is and when he'll be back. Yes, he was kidnapped. No, Kate's got that taken care of."

He looked over at her. "What are you waiting for, Kate? Go pick Kit up from school and take her back to Tony's place. I'll call if I need you to come in."

"Gibbs, it is ten o'clock in the morning. They've barely started school," Kate protested.

"Pull her out. If someone is targeting Tony, they might go after Kit too."

"He never told us about her! Why would he tell anyone else?!" she exclaimed.

"Kate, go! My orders are never up for negotiation! Go!"

Kate got into the car and drove off, leaving Gibbs to wait for McGee.

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**Jefferson Elementary School**

Kate walked up to the secretary and showed her the badge.

"I'm Special Agent Kate Todd. I need to take Katharine DiNozzo out of school."

The secretary looked worried. "Her father works with NCIS. Is he alright?"

"I can't discuss that with you, ma'am. I need to know which room she's in."

The secretary typed something into her computer. "She's in room 125. Down the hall to the left. It's the last one."

"Thank you."

Kate walked out and found room 125. She walked into the room to find 30 kids running around, screaming. The teacher walked up to her.

"Can I help you?"

Kate showed the teacher her badge. "Agent Todd. NCIS. I need to take Kit home."

"Kate!" Kit ran over to her.

"Hi. Get your things. I'm taking you to your house."

"Will my daddy be there when we get home?"

"Just get your things," Kate told her.

"I'm Ms. Hannigan. Is something going on that I should know about?"

Kate explained to her that she wasn't allowed to talk about it. Kate and Kit walked out of the school. Kate helped her in the car.

Kate realized when they were half way to Tony's house that she didn't have any keys. She took Kit to NCIS. When they walked into the squad room, Kit ran straight to Tony's desk. Gibbs and McGee were back from the scene and were puzzled why the little girl was there. Gibbs gave Kate a questioning look.

"I didn't have any keys," Kate told him. Gibbs didn't respond. Kit was sitting at Tony's desk, looking through the drawers. She pulled out a pad of post-it notes and a pen and began to color.

"Kate, get his keys out of his desk and take her home. I don't want her here." Gibbs said quietly.

Kate walked over towards Gibbs. "You need me here. I can take her down to Abby or Ducky."

"Fine. But check up on her. She's your responsibility." Gibbs agreed after a moment.

Kate walked over to Kit. "Hey, I'm going to take you down to see-"

Kit cut her off. "My daddy?"

"No, Ducky."

"Is daddy with him?"

Kate sighed. "No. Come on. Ducky will be happy to see you."

They got into the elevator.

"Kate?" Kit asked as the doors closed.

"Yeah?"

"Did something happen to my daddy?"

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Sorry this is so short. I should have the next one up tomorrow.


	3. Where Are You?

AN: I did some research on the USS John F. Kennedy. I don't know where it is or has been stationed. I just picked a ship for the story.

Disclaimer is back in chapter one.

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"_Did something happen to my daddy?"_

Kate didn't know how to respond to that. What would she tell her? Kate just wouldn't say 'Yeah, Kit. Your dad was kidnapped. And it's only a matter of time until the guy kills him.' What a discussion that would be. How do you respond to something like that? Tell her the truth or lie to her.

"Kit, um…"

The elevator doors opened to autopsy. Kit ran out and into the room.

"Hi Ducky!"

"Katharine! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?"

"Kate picked me up from school. Do you know where my daddy is?"

Ducky looked up at Kate. She gave him a look that said it all. Ducky looked back to the little girl.

"No, my dear. I'm afraid not. I haven't seen him all day, in fact."

Kit looked upset.

"Ducky, can I talk to you? Kit, stay here." Kate and Ducky walked out into the hall way. Kate waited until the doors to close before she explained.

"He was taken. Gibbs sent him to Petty Officer Henderson's house to get a DNA sample for Abby. He's been gone for about four hours."

"Oh, my!" Ducky whispered, "What is going to happen with Katharine?"

"Can she stay with you and Abby for a while? I need to go help Gibbs and I don't want her to be scared. She doesn't need to know what's going on until we find him."

Ducky nodded. He got that look on his face. The one when he's lost in thought.

"What?" Kate asked.

Ducky stayed silent for a minute and then responded, "I wonder…what if we never found out about Katharine? What if Tony was taken and we didn't know about her? What would have happened to her?"

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Kate was back up in the squad room. After telling Gibbs and McGee that Kit was safe with Ducky, they filled her in on what they knew so far.

"Petty Officers Henderson and Richardson were aboard the _USS John F. Kennedy_. They were pilots. According to other bunkmates, they were like Maverick and Goose on _Top Gun_," McGee told her.

"Wow, you know, Tony would be proud of you, Tim. You're taking over his job, talking about movies," Kate said with a small smile.

"No, Kate, you'll take his job as Senior Field Agent if we don't focus," Gibbs snapped.

Both agents look at their feet and mumbled their apologies.

"McGee, go down to Abby and have her put a trace on Tony's phone. Kate, take Kit to Tony's apartment. Stay with her."

"But Gibbs…"

"Kate, I don't want her here!"

"If someone is going to go after her too, this is the safest place for her right now!"

"Agent Todd…" his sentence didn't need to be finished. The look on his face and the tone of his voice made Kate follow his orders. She walked to the elevator and went down to autopsy. When she got there, Ducky and Kit weren't there. Kate then went up to the lab. Ducky, Abby, McGee and Kit were all staring at Abby's computer. Abby was playing one of her video games and Ducky was telling them all a story about his nephew.

"Kit, it's time to go."

Kit got a pouty look on her face. "But Abby is playing a really cool game and I want to hear the rest of the story!"

"No, Kit. Come on, let's go!"

"NO!" she whined. She began to get tears in her eyes and she plopped on the floor.

Kate rubbed her temples. She didn't know what to do. She looked up at Ducky and Abby for help.

"Katharine, my dear, it's time for you to go home. You can come back soon. I'll finish my story and you and Abby can keep playing that wretched game," Ducky told her.

Kit sighed heavily. "Fine. Bye Ducky! Bye Abby!" She ran out towards the elevator.

Kate waved her good-bye and mouthed a thank you to Ducky. She followed Kit out of the room.

"Hey, Duck man, I have a question," Abby said.

"I might have an answer," Ducky prompted her.

"If…something happens…I'm not saying it will or anything…but…if something happens to Tony…where is she going to go? I mean…it's not like her mother is around. Who will she go with?"

Ducky pondered this for a moment and then said, "There are only a few people Anthony trusts with his life. And they are the same people he would trust with his daughter's life. And the one he trusts the most just walked out of this room."

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Kate and Kit walked into Tony's apartment. Kit ran in.

"Daddy! Daddy! I'm home!" she shouted in a singsong voice. "Daddy! Where are you? Daddy!"

"Kit, please, be quiet," Kate said harshly. She wasn't mad. She was stressed, tired and worried sick about Tony. She regretted breaking up with him. The thing was: she hated secrets. But she couldn't hate that little girl. She couldn't bring herself to it. It wasn't Kit's fault that Tony kept Kit from her. Kit was still running around the house, looking for her father.

"Kit, please," Kate pleaded for her to stop. She wasn't ready for the responsibility of taking care of a five year old. Kate couldn't remember the last time she baby-sat. Although, this was far from baby-sitting. This was a protection detail. This is what she was trained to do, but she had never 'protected' a child before. And this was under completely different circumstances. It was Tony's daughter. If they didn't get Tony back, that girl would be all alone.

"Daddy! It's not funny any more! Come out! Daddy!" the little girl pleaded.

"Kit, stop," Kate said with her head in her hands. Kit looked at her. Kate had tears running down her face.

"Kate? What's wrong?" Kit sat down next to her. Kit suddenly had a revelation. "Kate, where's my daddy?"

Kate didn't answer.

"Kate, did something happen to my daddy?"

Kate looked up at Kit. She wiped away her tears and sighed. "Um, we just…don't know where he is…that's all. We're looking for him. We're gonna find him." But her tone of voice wasn't very convincing, even to herself.


	4. Conditions

Disclaimer is back in chapter one.

AN: All the medical things were researched as much as possible. I apologize if I screw anything up. And Tony's past was researched too. I don't know if it is all correct. Whatever I didn't know, I kinda made up. Just FYI.

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The shrill ring of Kate's phone echoed though the apartment, waking Kate up.

"Todd," she said sleepily into the phone. She looked down at Kit. They had fallen asleep on the couch. Her head was in Kate's lap. Kate found a small blanket on the couch and draped it over Kit's small body.

"Kate, Gibbs wanted me to update you. Abby traced Tony's phone. She traced it to a house down the street from Henderson's house. Gibbs and I are on our way," McGee told her.

"Wait there. I'll drop Kit off with Abby and I'll ride with you," Kate said, now suddenly more awake.

"No, Kate. Stay there with her," Gibbs voice came though the phone. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Gibbs, I need to help. You need me to help."

"Agent Todd, I don't know what has suddenly come over you. You keep disobeying my orders. Stay with the girl." Gibbs hung up the phone.

Kate slapped the phone shut. She sighed and shook her head in frustration. The only thing she could do now was wait. Wait to hear from Gibbs or Tim if he was okay. Wait to find out if he was alive. Wait to know if his five year old daughter would still have her father.

Kate looked at the clock on the wall. It seemed to Kate it had stopped working correctly. Seconds dragged on. Minutes seemed like years. Her mother used to tell her 'A watched pot never boils'. Kate felt like the phone would never ring. And when it finally did, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Gibbs? McGee? Is he okay? Oh, god. We'll be there soon." Kate hung up the phone. Carefully, she carried a sleeping Kit to her car, blanket still covering her. Kate drove to Bethesda Naval Hospital, narrowly avoiding the late night traffic.

She ran in with Kit in her arms, the little girl resting her head on Kate's shoulder.

Kate received directions from a nurse and headed up to the Intensive Care Unit. They walked into the waiting area to find Gibbs, McGee, Abby and Ducky already there. She looked to them for an answer. None of them had the power to look Kate in the eyes and tell her the truth.

"Gibbs? He's okay, right? He's gonna be fine?" she prompted him.

He looked down at the ground and sighed. Gibbs raised his head and looked her straight in the eye.

"Kate, they're doing every thing they can. I need to find his will. I need to know who has his power of attorney."

She said nothing. She put Kit's head in Abby's lap. Kate walked back over to Gibbs and whispered, "Power of attorney?"

"He's in a coma. Bastard nearly beat him to death. McGee found a baseball bat in the room Henderson was keeping him in. It was covered in blood. He was awake when we found him. He was slurring his words, he couldn't hold himself up and he kept vomiting all over. We had to carry him to the car. When we got here, they took him up for a CT scan. The doctor came out and told us he had slipped into a coma and he has a severe traumatic brain injury. He's bleeding into his brain. Henderson must have hit Tony in the head with the bat. He's in surgery now. I need you to go back to his house and find his will. I need to know who has his power of attorney."

Gibbs sighed. "I don't want to call his father."

Kate gave him a questioning look. "Why?"

"Tony…didn't have the greatest childhood. His father runs a bank up in Connecticut. He was never home, never showed up for his football or basketball games, and only wanted him to become the head of the bank. Anthony DiNozzo wanted his son to go to Harvard, graduate with honors and become the most successful man on the East Coast. Tony wanted to become the star of any sports team he played on. He actually went to Harvard for a little less than a month when he transferred to Ohio State. Of course, after that, Tony had to pay for his own college and he was basically disowned by his father. According to Tony, DiNozzo Sr. hasn't talked to him in over ten years. He never goes home for Christmas or Thanksgiving…"

"How do you know all of this?" Kate wondered.

"He came over one Christmas and got drunk. Spilled everything right out."

"What about his mother?"

"Died a couple of years ago. Go find the will."

"Can't I stay here? Gibbs, I…I screwed everything up between us. I dumped him because of Kit. I haven't forgiven myself for that. I want to be with him. I need to. I need to be the one who tells Kit about him."

"Fine. I'll be back soon."

After Gibbs left, Kate sat down next to Ducky. Her emotions took over and Kate began to cry.

"Shh, my dear, things will be fine," Ducky tried to console her.

"Really, Duck? Do you know things will be fine? Do you know that he'll wake up tomorrow and be just fine? Do you know he'll pull through the surgery?"

As Kate laid her head on Ducky's shoulder to cry, a doctor came into the room.

"Are all of you here for Agent DiNozzo?" Everyone nodded.

"The surgery took a little longer than we expected. He pulled though but just barely. We had to put him on life support.There is a possiblility that he could wake up and be okay."

"What happens if he doesn't wake up?" McGee asked quietly.

"He could have mental and physical disabilities, but it also depends on the injury. Let's stay positive."

"Can I see him?" Kate said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Are you family?"

"We are the closest thing he has to family besides his daughter," Kate said bitterly.

The doctor looked at his feet. "You can, but if you take the girl in, you need to explain everything to her. And it might be for the best if you don't take her at all. She might not understand that her father could never recover."

"We'll let her sleep, but if she wants to see her father, we'll let her," Ducky informed him.

He nodded. "Only two at a time. I'll show you to his room."

Kate looked around to see who wanted to go first.

"Caitlin, you go. You need some time with him. We'll all go after you," Ducky answered her unspoken question.

Kate stood up hesitantly. She followed the doctor into his room. He shut the door behind her and she pulled a chair up next to his bed.

Tony was hardly recognizable. He had several injuries. Among them were: a broken arm, leg and nose, cuts all over his face, and a black eye. Plus, the bandage that covered the soon-to-be scar they made on his head for the surgery. Kate could hardly imagine what he had gone though. She wanted him to wake up. She needed to tell him what had been going through her mind since she found out he was missing. She still loved him. She wanted to be with him. It was the biggest mistake she had made and she regretted it. He needed to know that.

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"Abby? Where are we?" Kit had woken up. She had slept all night despite being moved from the couch to Kate's car to the hospital waiting room.

"Hey sleepyhead! How are you?"

"Is my daddy here?"

Abby looked up at Ducky for an answer. He looked back at her, both at a loss of what to say.

"Kit, are you hungry?" Tim asked her.

Her eyes widened in excitement and she nodded. "Come on. Let's go to the cafeteria." The two of them walked away, Kit still clad in her pajamas.

Abby sighed.

"We can only avoid telling her for so long. She's gonna come back and want to know where Anthony is," Ducky said to Abby.

"What are we gonna do?" Abby asked.

"We're gonna keep him on life support." Gibbs said as he strode into the room, "I found his living will."

Abby and Ducky looked up at him. "Who has his power of attorney?" Ducky questioned.

"Me. And Kate will take care of Kit. I don't know how she will feel about it. Has she come out yet? Have you seen him? Give me an update, Duck."

Ducky told him everything the doctor had told him.

"Caitlin hasn't left his room. None of us wanted to disturb her." Gibbs was half way down the hall getting directions before Ducky could finish. He peeked through every window to find them. When he finally did, Gibbs stood out side the door for a minute. He had to calm himself down before he went in.

"Kate?" She didn't answer him. He moved closer and found she was asleep. A small smile pulled at his lips. "Kate, wake up." She stirred slightly and opened her eyes.

"He's okay, right? Nothing happened while I was asleep, right?"

"He's fine. Nothing happened."

"Did you find his will?"

"Yeah, I did."

"And…" Kate prompted.

"And I have his power of attorney."

She looked out into the hallway. "What about Kit?" Gibbs exhaled loudly.

"He wants you to look after her."

Kate had a blank expression on her face. She didn't know what to do. If Tony didn't make it, she'd have to raise her all by herself. She barely knew Kit. Kate took several minutes to process this and determined that if she did have to care for her in the long run, she'd deal with it when the time came.

Kate looked up at Gibbs. "You didn't call his father, did you?"

"I had to. But, of course, the only person I talked to was his secretary's assistant. Damn assistant put me on hold for a half hour and I had to leave a message. I never talked to him directly. Why does a secretary need an assistant?"

Kate half way smiled at his remark. She knew Tony wouldn't want his father to show up.

"Why did you call him?"

"It was in his will. Tony just wanted his father to know that something happened to him."

Kate kept the questions coming. "Does he know about Kit?"

"Not sure. It's hard to tell."

Kate nodded and looked back at Tony.

"Does she know yet?"

"I don't think so."

She sighed as a few tears escaped. "Neither of them deserve this. Tony didn't do anything wrong. And he's the only one she has. It's not fair."

"Come on. Let's let Ducky, Abby and McGee see him before we bring Kit in."

"Gibbs," Kate started, "Did you get Henderson?"

"I'm letting him sweat it out in Interrogation. I'm going back in soon to see how he's going to defend himself."

Kate nodded in response. Gibbs guided her out into the hall way and into the waiting room.

"Kate!" Kit ran and jumped into her arms. Kate was surprised by her actions but accepted the hug nonetheless.

"Hi!" Kate greeted her with fake cheerfulness.

"Ducky said my daddy's here! Do you know where he is?" Kate looked up at the rest of the team for help.

"Katharine, my dear, um…your father, right now, is not himself. He has been hurt very badly and he has several broken bones and lots of cuts and bruises. He won't wake up when you talk to him. You can, he just won't answer you. Do you understand?" Ducky told Kit.

She had a confused look on her face but nodded her head any way.

"Kate, will you take me to see my daddy?"

Kate exhaled deeply and nodded, mentally preparing herself for what could come next. She ushered Kit down the hall to Tony's room.

"Daddy!" Kit shouted. She braced herself to run and jump on his bed, just like she did every other morning., but Kate stopped her.

"Kit, Daddy's hurting a lot. You need to go easy on him. You remember what Ducky said, right?"

She nodded. Kit tiptoed into the room and over to her father's bed. She eased her way up onto the bed and cuddled up next to him.


	5. Family Time

Disclaimer is back in chapter one.

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Gibbs slammed the door shut as he walked into interrogation. Forcefully, he pulled his chair out and banged it against the wall. He put his palms on the table and held himself up. Gibbs stared directly into Petty Officer Henderson's brown eyes.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Gibbs said unnaturally soft. Henderson said nothing and looked away from Gibbs. Gibbs slammed a fist on the table, making the other man jump. "Speak!" he commanded.

Henderson sighed and shook his head, trying to keep tears from falling.

"Jack wanted everyone to know. I didn't. I told him we'd get kicked out if we said anything. He didn't listen. Jack only told his family, but I knew it'd get out eventually."

Gibbs looked at him as if he didn't understand.

"Don't ask. Don't tell," Henderson said like it should have been obvious, "I like my job. But he went and told people. I didn't want anyone to know. That agent just got in the way. If he wouldn't have come lookin', there wouldn't have been a problem."

"Why'd you beat him?" Gibbs said, anger flashing in his eyes.

"He looked like Jack. Green eyes, brown hair," he sighed and shook his head, "Should've just stayed away. I figured if Jack would tell people, so would he."

Gibbs said nothing. He cuffed him and read him his rights.

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Kate lifted Kit from the bed and carried her to the waiting area.

"Abby, do you think you could take Kit back to her place and get her some new clothes? She needs to get out of those pajamas and I want to stay here with Tony."

"Sure, we'll be back soon." Kate shifted Kit into Abby's arms.

Abby pressed the down button on the elevator. She waited for several seconds until a chime sounded. Abby stepped aside to let the people in the elevator out. A group of men filed out. The five of them, perfectly tanned, were dressed in suits. Abby gave them a weird look and took Kit into the elevator.

The group of men walked down the hallway and stopped in the waiting area. Kate, McGee and Ducky all stared at them as they went to the nurse's station.

"We're here to see my son, Anthony DiNozzo, Jr." The oldest one said to the nurse behind the counter.

"Room 434. But only two at a time. He's in a coma at the moment. He won't respond to you."

The two agents and doctor looked at each other.

Kate stood up. "Excuse me, um, are you Tony's father?"

All five men turned to look at Kate. The oldest one extended a hand. "Anthony DiNozzo," he began while Kate shook is hand. He was sturdy man with graying brown hair. His brown eyes were the complete opposite of Tony's green ones. He continued, "These are my other sons, Robert, Carlo, Nicholas and Gabriel." Robert, Carlo and Nicholas all looked like their father. Gabriel looked more like Tony.

"It's nice to meet you," Kate replied. She didn't sound too enthused that they showed up. Kate didn't understand how someone could completely ignore their child. Kate shook the rest of their hands and she introduced herself. Not as Tony's girlfriend, but as his co-worker.

"Which of you boys want to see your brother first? Don't forget, we have a meeting with the CEO of WorldTrade today. We need to leave in forty minutes. Keep it quick," Anthony said. Carlo and Robert walked down the hall and into Tony's room. Anthony, Nicholas and Gabriel sat down and waited for their turn. Not five minutes later, Carlo and Robert returned from his room. Anthony and Nicholas stood up.

"Gabriel, I assume you want to see him on your own?" Anthony asked. Gabriel nodded and his father and brother walked to Tony's room.

"Gabe, tell Father that we went to get the car. Carlo and I will be waiting out front," Robert said. Carlo and Robert said good bye to the team and left.

Kate, Ducky, McGee and Gabriel sat in silence. Gabriel finally broke the awkward silence.

"I can't believe this is happening to him."

"Are you going to be okay?" Kate asked him.

"Growing up, he was my best friend. And he was the only one who had the guts to stand up to Father and tell him no. I didn't want to do this for a living but he was paying for college and I couldn't just tell him no. Rob and Carlo and Nick all want to do this. But it's so boring and really, I just don't care. Tony just wanted out. You know being the baby of the family, you'd expect Tony to want nothing to do with me. But he was the only one who'd pay any attention to me."

"Gabriel…" Kate began.

"Call me Gabe. Only my father calls me that."

"Gabe, do you know who Kit is?"

He nodded. "Father doesn't. Neither does the rest of our brothers. He called me and told me when he and Grace got married. And when Kit was born. What's going to happen to her? Who's going to take care of her?"

"I am."

Gabe nodded. "Good. He told me about you. He speaks very highly of you. And the rest of your team. You'll take good care of her, right?"

Kate nodded. "Of course."

"And you'll tell him I stopped by, right? Let him know I was here?" He said as he stood up.

Kate turned around and saw Anthony and Nicholas. "Yes. I'll tell him."

Gabe nodded to her and walked over to his father and began to talk.

"Kate." She turned around to see Gibbs standing there. "Who are these people?"

"This is Tony's family," she told him. Gibbs' face went red with anger.

"Gibbs, don't…." Kate began.

He walked over to his father and got in his face.

"You have no right to be here. I only informed you of the situation because Tony wanted me to. You treated him like dirt. You can't walk in here and expect everything to be okay. You ignored him. And his daughter. You haven't even met her. She's the greatest thing that happened to him. Grace and Kit gave him a chance for a family. Grace is gone and now all he has is Kit. He's got a family now. He doesn't need you. He has us! Get out! Get! Now!" Gibbs yelled.

"He has a daughter?" Nicholas asked with disbelief. Anthony didn't look phased by Gibbs' rant.

"You should see her," Kate began, "She's gorgeous. Although, I don't think Tony would want any of you to meet her. Except Gabe, of course."

Anthony looked to his youngest son. "What does she mean?"

Gabe sighed. "Tony was the only one who even remotely cared about me besides mom. I've known about Kit and about Grace. I never got to meet Grace. She died, giving birth to your granddaughter, who you would know except you decided a long time ago that you never wanted to talk to one of your sons again. He's sent me pictures and she looks so much like mom."

"Kate! I'm back!" Kit yelled in a sing-song voice. She and Abby walked into the room. Kit ran over to Kate and gave her a hug. When she saw Gabe, her eyes widened.

"Hey, I've seen you before! Daddy has a picture of you in our living room. What's your name again?"

"I'm your uncle Gabe."

"Yeah, I remember now. Daddy talks about you a lot. Have you seen him yet?" Gabe shook his head. "He's sleeping so be careful not to wake him up," Kit rambled on, "Come on, I'll take you to see him." Kit took his hand and led him to her father's room.

"There is no way that little girl belongs to Anthony," his father said, "He doesn't have maturity level to handle a child."

"Father, you're kidding right?" Nicholas asked, "That little girl looked just like mom. Her hair, her eyes, even the little mark on her cheek. That's my niece, your granddaughter."

"Biologically, yes, maybe she is my granddaughter. But…technically, no, Anthony is no longer my son," Anthony, Sr. replied.

Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't take it any more. Someone who didn't love their own child was just foolish and stupid.

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AN: This chapter was not beta'd so if there are any mistakes, they are mine! Forgive me!


	6. Stay With Us

Disclaimer is back in chapter one.

AN: Sorry it has taken me so long to update. I have had a terrible case of writer's block.

**Chapter 6 of Places The Heart Has Not Yet Discovered**

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"Well, boys, are you ready to go?" Anthony Sr. asked when Gabe came out of Tony's room. Nicholas nodded and they began to walk towards the elevator.

Gabe stopped and blurted, "Father, I'm staying."

"Gabriel, you need to brief Mr. Martin on the project. I'm sure he'll be impressed. Come on. We'll be late."

"No. I'm staying with Tony and Kit. And I quit. I don't want to work for you anymore. I can make a living doing something else. I don't need you. I am not a child. I don't need your approval for anything anymore. I don't want to have to listen to you anymore!" Gabe yelled.

His father looked taken aback. "Fine," he said, "But don't come back to the house. I'll have all of your stuff sent to Anthony's house. Don't come crawling back once you realize that you just lost the best job you ever had." Anthony Sr. and Nicholas walked to the elevator, not looking back once.

Kate gave Gabe an encouraging smile, knowing how hard it was for Gabe to stand up to his father like that.

"Always wanted to do that," he admitted, "And I always looked up to Tony for it, too."

They sat in silence for awhile when a doctor came down the hall.

"Is there a 'Katie' here for Special Agent DiNozzo?" Kate stood up and rolled her eyes.

"God, DiNozzo. I swear, if he calls me that one more time…" Her words trailed off as she realized the only way the doctor would know about her 'nickname' is if he told him. She sprinted past the doctor and into Tony's room. Kate stopped in the doorway. Tony glanced over to her and smiled.

"Hiya, Katie-girl! Did ya miss me?" he asked enthusiastically. She ran over to him and sat on the bed. She hugged him tight as if she was never going to let go.

When she finally sat back up, she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again…" she didn't finish her sentence. "Kit missed you."

Tony grinned, thinking of his daughter. "Is she here?" Kate nodded and stood up to get her. "Wait! I want some time with you." Kate leaned down and kissed him.

"I'm so sorry. I don't want to be alone forever. I want to be with you." She kissed him again.

"Ew! Kate! That's gross!" Kit yelled. She and Gibbs were standing in the doorway.

"Daddy!" She ran over to the bed and jumped up. "I missed you, daddy. Why do you have a band-aid on your head?"

"I had a boo-boo," Tony informed her.

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it feel better?"

Tony nodded animatedly, "Please."

"Thank you," Tony told her when she was done.

She grinned. "Daddy?"

"Whatcha need, Peanut?"

"Can Kate stay with us?" Kate and Tony were both surprised at the question. Tony looked at her and Kate smiled.

"Ask her."

Kit looked over to Kate. "Kate, stay at my house! We can color and watch Strawberry Shortcake and Dumbo and…" Kit kept talking, listing all of the things they could do. Kate and Tony were amazed by how many words his daughter could say in one breath. It was obvious that she had been spending far too much time with Abby. She kept talking and didn't stop even when Gibbs cleared his throat. Kate and Tony looked up at their boss.

"Uh, Gibbs…uh…um…" they stuttered.

"Keep it out of the office," he spat as he walked out of the room and muttered something about how he kept rule twelve for a reason. Kit was now talking about the playground at the park down the street. Kate laughed at the little girl and Tony smiled.

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Twenty minutes later, Kit had worn her self out. She had fallen asleep next to Tony.

"Kate?"

"Hmm?"

"So… are we back together now or…I just need to know," Tony said.

"I'd like that. Let's start over," Kate said, "But I'll just live in the same apartment."

They grinned.

"This is gonna be good!" Kate giggled.

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AN: Okay, so that's it for this story. I'm gonna start writing the next one. I'll finish it first before posting it so I don't get writer's block and leave it for a month or so and then post another chapter. I hate it when I read a story and they don't update and I forget what happens.


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